As part of a series of studies assessing mode differences in data collection in national surveys, this research assesses differences in reports of alcohol use and alcohol-related harms using telephone and in-person interviews in a subsample of the Year 2000 National Alcohol Survey. A group of 411 respondents were given a brief telephone interview which assessed their alcohol use and alcohol-related harms (ever and last 12 months) followed by an in-person interview approximately 2 months later to assess reporting differences. Approximately 89 percent (n=367) reported their drinking status consistently between interviews (272 current drinkers; 95 non drinkers in last 12 months). Of those who reported inconsistent drinking statuses between interviews, 3.9 percent (n=16) became non-drinkers and 6.8 percent (n=28) became drinkers. There were no significant differences between respondents who reported their drinking status consistently or inconsistently in terms of gender, age, educational level, income level, ethnicity, and weeks between interviews. Moreover, there were no significant differences between the telephone and the in-person interviews with respect to amount of alcohol consumed in the last year, number of days respondents drank 5 or more drinks in the last year, and reported harms due to alcohol (ever and 12 months). Along with findings from earlier mode studies, these results provide support for the use of telephone survey methodology for collecting alcohol data in national surveys.

Presenting author's disclosure statement:I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.